Anthony Marmarou

Anthony Marmarou

Who was Dr. Anthony Marmarou?

Anthony Marmarou (16 March 1934 – 22 January 2010) Ph.D., Nemuth Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Neurosurgery, VCU School of Medicine, was born in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George and Irene Marmarou.

Dr. Marmarou served our country in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and subsequently attended Drexel University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his Master’s in Control Engineering, and finally, Temple University School of Medicine, where he completed an NIH Special Research Fellowship and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering.

His scientific exploration of intracranial pressure dynamics in traumatic brain injury began at Albert Einstein Medical in the Bronx, New York and was continued during his 27 years with the VCU Department of Neurosurgery in Richmond, Virginia. Well known for his commitment to his research on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), Dr. Marmarou was considered a world authority on fluid dynamics within the brain and spinal cord.

His tireless efforts to communicate the results of his scientific studies on the global front earned him an international reputation as an outstanding scholar and scientist. Dr. Marmarou was the recipient of the prestigious Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Dr. Marmarou, in collaboration with his longstanding research partner, Dr. Harold Young, Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at VCU, led an international team in developing the first clinical guidelines for diagnosis and treatment for idiopathic NPH. Their tireless efforts have resulted in the current standard of care for patients with NPH, which has directly resulted in the recovery of individuals first thought to be suffering irreversible dementia and Alzheimer’s-like symptoms.

Dr. Marmarou’s statement that “Patients should explore all their options because there is always hope.” has earned him the devotion of these patients and his staff. Dr. Marmarou was one of those unique researchers who could bring basic laboratory research directly to the bedside to improve patient care and treatment. Also noteworthy were his collaborative basic research studies targeting mechanisms of cellular injury following traumatic brain injury and stroke in collaboration with Dr. John Povlishock, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at VCU, and Dr. Ross Bullock, now Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Miami. Their efforts on the experimental front have led the way to novel therapies currently being evaluated to attenuate the devastating effects of human head injury.

Dr. Marmarou was a leader in the scientific community and was honored for his work by Brazilian, English, French, German, Greek, Japanese, and Turkish Neurosurgical Societies. In particular, his collaborative efforts with Dr. Katsuji Shima, Chairman of Neurosurgery of the National Defense Institute in Japan established global standards for the care and management of intracranial pressure following traumatic brain injury. His scientific legacy remains intact as it will continue on through the dedication of the over 200 neurosurgical fellows that he has trained throughout his scientific career, his daughter, Dr. Christina Marmarou, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and colleague, Dr. Gunes Aygok, Co-director of NPH studies at VCU.

His outreach missions included ABIC, the EIC and the European Brain Injury Consortium, all aimed at improving patient diagnosis and treatment. His efforts will continue to be supported by his dedicated administrative and clinical staff: Mrs. Joyce Galloway, Ms. Sreedevi Chandrasekaran, Dr. Juan Lu, Ms. Christian Rogers, Ms. Lori Davis and Ms. Marsha Hallinan; as well as his laboratory staff: Ms. Xiuyin Liang, Dr. Shanaz Parveen and Dr. Naqeeb Abidi, all of whom will miss him dearly. His wisdom and humanity and tireless devotion to scientific advancement for patients will be missed by the local and global community alike.

Professor Marmarou also served as the Technical Director of the American Brain Injury Consortium (ABIC) and the International Epilepsy Consortium (IEC), Co-director of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Clinic and Professor of Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Physiology.

Dr. Marmarou had many passions. He excelled in training his championship Brittany Spaniels on horseback and volunteered his efforts with the National Brittany Association. He served as past president of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral and his recipe for “Lemonada” for the Greek Festival is now a continuing tradition. Dr. Marmarou enjoyed swimming and fitness, Greek iconography, traveling the world and fishing with his daughters and grandchildren.

Sources: legacy.com; findagrave.com

List of MARMAROU Lectures during the Hydrocephalus Meetings

Hydrocephalus 2023, 25-28 August, Hamburg, Germany

Introduction:Uwe Kehler
The journey through CSF:
Laurence Watkins

Hydrocephalus 2022, 9-12 September, Gothenburg, Sweden

Introduction:Giorgio Palandri
Mandala
Michael Williams

Hydrocephalus 2021, 10 – 13 September, Virtual

Introduction: Uwe Kehler
Some CSF related experiments of nature – old and new
John Pickard

Hydrocephalus 2019, 13 – 16 September, Vancouver, Canada

Introduction: Mark G. Hamilton
CSF DYNAMICS IN HYDROCEPHALUS – THE UMEÅ EXPERIENCE
Anders Eklund, Jan Malm

Hydrocephalus 2018, 19 – 22 October, Bologna, Italy

Introduction:Harold Rekate
GLYMPHATIC MRI IN iNPH
Per Kristian Eide